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than a year and added serious cost between Canton and Wellesley and I-93
impacts to the company.
“The Amtrak people have been doing
everything they can to make it work and
accommodate the work while maintain-
ing uninterrupted train service,”
McLaughlin acknowledges.
Extra work included:
■ Removal of a pre-existing stump dump
that was discovered during detention
basin construction
■ Reconfiguration of highway guide signs
to accommodate construction of the retain-
ing walls and current traffic conditions
■ Extra environmental measures to pro-
tect the Dedham watershed area
■ Temporary repairs to existing structural
steel and foundations as adjacent portions
of the bridges were demolished
■ Existing salt shed expansion
All these additions and changes raised
construction costs from $27.4 million to
$32.3 million, he says.
The project is part of a larger plan
known as the “Add a Lane” project, Mc-
Laughlin says.
The scope of the larger plan is to
improve the capacity and safety of I-95
Chelmsford, the Commerce Way inter-
between Canton and Randolph, totaling
14 miles.
“The project has seen great coopera-
tion between [Massachusetts Highway],
the design consultant Purcell Associates,
the MBTA, Amtrak, the towns of Canton
and Dedham, SPS New England Inc. and
its [23] subcontractors,” he says.
A ‘Leading Contractor’
SPS New England Inc. was founded in
1984 and today has a reputation as a lead-
ing road and bridge contractor in New
England. “As a leading contractor, we bring
more than 20 years of experience and an
excellent reputation to the industry,” the
company says.
“We built our reputation on the
strength of our company, the expertise of
our management and the quality of our
work force.”
Its heavy highway division has partici-
pated in prominent projects in Massa-
chusetts, such as the surface stations for
the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority, the I-495 interchange in Law-
rence, the tourist information center in
change in Woburn and the Route 128
Canton-Dedham-Westwood Interchange.
“To be a great company, we must be
committed to our employees, provide
quality workmanship and deliver proj-
ects that are on time and on budget,” the
company says. “Above all, we must main-
tain business integrity and give back to
the community.”
Part of giving back to the community
is protecting the environment as it builds.
The company’s site development division
uses its expertise in residential and com-
mercial real estate to preserve the land,
the company says.
“We believe that unique features, such
as specimen trees and native fieldstone
walls, add appeal and value to property,”
the company says. “We develop sites that
combine beauty with function while pre-
serving site features that are important
to the community.
“Principles of new urbanism and smart
growth are employed at every opportuni-
ty to develop the most responsible and
socially beneficial project possible,” the
company says. ■
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